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“CoS?” I return, appalled.

Jude laughs at me and I scowl at him, wishing he’d takesomethingseriously for once –anything. “Children of Solace is a damned mouthful. I like shorthand.”

Dad sighs as he turns his attention to Jude. “I take it that this is…a normal age for a scout in the Children of Solace?”

Jude types out the question on his phone and nods a few moments later, shrugging. “Yeah, I guess so. My source did it when he was that age. Apparently, it was crap work on cold nights, but it’s the assignment.”

“Child spies,” I whisper, incredulous, leaning forward to lean against the table in my shock.

“Scout,” Jude says, pointing at his phone, insisting I use the right phrase. “Actually, you were probably the highlight of these kids’ year,” he says, reading something on the screen. “My guy says they’re not used to seeing much and they finally got something worth reporting back. Probably got fedrealgood that night as a reward.”

I cover my face with my hand, shaking my head. “I don’t know what to do with you, Jude.”

“What’s the problem?” Jude asks, looking between all of us with a smirk. “Why is everyone so upset?”

“I think the issue of child labor in a military operation is putting Cole over the edge,” dad murmurs. “Though thetruequestion I have is – what are the risks of this? Are those kids dangerous?”

I drop my hand, paying attention again and glaring at my brother for kind of dismissing the issue of child military labor.

“I mean, I wouldn’t get close to them,” Jude murmurs, shrugging, typing rapidly on his phone as his informant gives him more information, his eyes flashing over the screen. “My guy says that they’re small, but at this age they can use a knife, and they’re trained to be sneaky. Plus, they’remotivated. If they got a chance to hurt you, they’d do it.”

I curse lightly under my breath.

“Motivated by what?” dad asks.

“Food,” Jude says, nodding, his phone’s screen flashing as new messages appear. “Bonus rations for anyone who does anything productive. And if they killed a Prince…” he shrugs, looking back up me. “They’d get something good to eat. For sure.”

I take a deep breath, shaking my head, trying to process this insane information.

“So,” Jude says, leaning closer again to peer at the picture. “These kids were…in the Children of Solace? I thought you said you cleared that out.”

“Yeah, we went back,” I murmur, slumping in my chair. “Dad wanted more recon.”

“Who’s we?” Jude murmurs, his eyes moving over the picture.

“Me and the photojournalist,” I murmur, glaring at dad a little, letting him knowpreciselyhow displeased I am that he sent Rose back. Dad just shrugs, letting me know that I need to deal with it.

“Who’s that?” Jude asks.

I sigh. “Rose.”

Jude’s eyes shoot up to me. “RoseLind?”

I flash my teeth at my brother, telling him not to push it but…not denying it.

Jude guffaws, turning his eyes to dad. “You sentRose Lindup there to Cole and hismate–“

“Alleged mate,” dad growls, fixing his eyes on me, letting his displeasure be known that I persist in spending time with Nadia.

I glare back at my father, hating his bullshit attitude on this.

“Do you – I mean, do youhateNadia?” Jude continues, starting to laugh at dad and shake his head. “Are youtryingto torture her? She’s –“

“Jude!” I snap, my voice heavy with Alpha command. Jude shuts up, even if he continues laughing and turns his eyes back to me, grinning like mad.

I lift my chin to the phone in his hand, wanting what details are left and then wanting thisdone.I am not very pleased with my father right now and Jude is doing good work to get himself added to my shit list.

“All right, all right,” Jude murmurs, still with a nasty little smirk painted on his lips as he types a few more things out on his phone.